Tile roofs are charming to look at, are quite waterproof and weatherproof and add value to a home or business, but they are not meant to be walked on. Walking on a tile roof, no matter how careful the person is, will result in the breakage of tiles.
For example, when putting a tent over a house in order to do termite extermination work, one of the workers must get up on the roof and make his way along the seams between the 43'.times.60' , tarps to join them together, and he also must get to the top of the roof. Traditionally, extermination companies make no guarantees as to the safety of the roof and charge the owner a certain amount per tile to repair broken tiles. Repairing broken tiles on a modest residence can easily cost $600 to $700 for a termite tenting job. This is the way tile roofs are done in the termite extermination business. No technique has been developed or apparatus created which enables workers to move around on the rooftop without destroying tiles.
Clearly, there is a need for some kind of system that would enable workers to traverse across a tile roof without destroying tiles in the process.